There are several types of conventional dog harnesses. Some harnesses are used for walking a dog and to prevent pulling, and others are used for carrying a dog in a vehicle. Yet other conventional harnesses include those that are designed to allow a dog to carry its own food or water, or the like.
One example of an existing dog harness is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,902. There, a dog pack harness is designed to be used by a dog for carrying one or more packs with gear, food and/or water, or other supplies. The harness has numerous straps and buckles and requires proper fitting to keep the pack in position on the dog's back when in use.
Next, a pet carrier is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,461. The pet carrier is rigid and is designed to carry only a small dog or cat. The pack is bulky and heavy and is essentially a small animal crate with straps and is designed to be used only briefly over the arm or on the back of a person and then rest upright in a seat for travel in a car, a plane, a bus, or the like. Similarly, a lift frame for use in transporting larger dogs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,967. There, a sling with a series of rails and chains is used to move an injured animal within a veterinary facility. It is basically a hoist and is very heavy and bulky and requires additional equipment, including at least a pulley system to lift and move an injured animal across short distances like an operating room.
Another existing dog harness is used for rappelling and is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,353,779. There a harness with numerous straps and buckles is taught for use in military and civilian applications where a dog is disembarking from a helicopter or is scaling a cliff and the human user is actively belaying or climbing, for example. Because of the sophistication and training of the user and the specific application, numerous buckles and specially designed strap systems are used. Additionally, the repelling harnesses are designed to be strong and suitable for a specific application, and not necessarily lightweight or easy to use by a layman.
Wherefore it is an object of the present disclosure to overcome the above mentioned shortcomings and drawbacks associated with the prior art harnesses and provide for a harness specifically designed to be carried at all times so that in the event of an emergency a layman can very quickly use the harness without the need to adjust the harness to fit a dog that is in distress and then transport the dog to safety. Alternatively, the harness may be used when encountering a steep area, or ladder portion, of a hiking trail so that the dog can continue hiking through on the particular trail without having to be diverted off trail as the steep area would otherwise be impassable to a dog.